Panem Is Where We Live
by shawarmafondue
Summary: Katniss & Peeta accidentally mess with one of Beetee's Projects and get sent back in time. Sam & Dean are there to help. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue

I should have asked Beetee if his project even worked. I should have asked Beetee how to get back. Most importantly, I should have asked Beetee what year it was set on. Because now I, Katniss Everdeen, am in the year 2012, along with my friend Peeta; and we have no way of getting back.

I am seventeen years old. I have a boyfriend whose name is Peeta Mellark. I live in Panem, in District 13. My best friend is Gale. The mastermind to me still being alive, sort of, is Beetee. Beetee is the smartest person I know, probably the smartest person anyone knows. He's an inventor, and he invented the reason why I'm here, in 2012.

See, Beetee is always coming up with little 'projects'. He likes to call them his babies, I like to call them things-I-don't-understand. Anyway, Project 120 is a time machine. He was out today, or maybe it was yesterday, I'm not sure which...and Peeta and I snuck into his lab. We messed with the weapons for a while before finally deciding to check out his latest Project. A button push here and a button push there, and all of a sudden we're being sucked into what looks like the sun.

Finally, we ended up here.

I don't know where I am, and neither does Peeta. We assume it's North America, sometime before the revolution, before the wars.

The only people we've met are a couple of brothers, Sam and Dean. They believe our story about coming from the future. Now all we have to do is get back to Panem, back to District 13...back to the future.


	2. Chapter 1

"Tell me again how you got here."

"Dean!" Sam exclaims, "How many times do they have to tell you what happened?"

"It's a very intricate story, Sammy!"

"It's not that intricate!"

"Whatever. Tell it again, Kat," Dean says, shortening my name to an annoying nickname he's adopted for me.

"Katniss," I say. "And I've already told you three other times. We found Beetee's-"

"Now, who is Beetee again?"

I let out a small sigh of exasperation. Either Dean is stupid, or I am just tired, or maybe both. It is probably both. "Beetee is an inventor, and he invented the time machine. Peeta and I were in the arena with him, in the 75th Quarter Quell."

"Only because neither of you told me, what's the arena about? Is that where you play the Games?" Sam asks, obviously using more of his brain power than his brother.

"Yes, that's where the Games are played. The Hunger Games. It's aired nationally, and live."

"Sounds like a good show," Dean proclaims.

"It's not," says Peeta, his first words after four hours of silence. He's not as big and stout as he used to be, and after what the Capitol has done to him, he keeps his mouth shut a lot more often nowadays.

"Maybe not to you, because you were in them," says Dean, and it seems like just wants to egg on Peeta's anger issues even more.

"How do you feel about killing innocent people? No, no. How do you feel about killing innocent children?" Peeta asks, using his words. Peeta is very good with words. I am not.

"Okay. I was wrong, sue me."

"Anyway," I go on. "We found Beetee's Project - Project 120 - and we pushed a few buttons. We were sucked into a bright light, and ended up here."

"Your time machine brought you to Minnesota?" asks Sam.

"We assume it could have taken us anywhere, but we didn't know which buttons to push. We also, as you know, don't know how to get back," Peeta tells them. "We figured you might could help us with that, you being involved in the supernatural and all."

"We don't have time machines," Sam says, furthering Peeta's annoyed look.

"Yeah, we don't have time machines. There's no way our technology will get you back to the future anytime soon."

"How super," I say.

Dean nods his head sarcastically, and I all but start to slap him. It is clear that Dean and I are not meant to be the best of friends. However, Sam and I might get along just fine, because he starts talking about having to go hunt.

"What do you hunt?" I ask, honestly wanting to know.

"Evil demons, basically," says Dean, and suddenly I am lost again. I look to Peeta for assurance, but he looks just as lost as I am.

"'Evil demons?'" he repeats.

"We hunt the supernatural; from demons to legends to myths to angels," Sam explains, leaving us even more clueless than before.

"I thought you meant that you hunted animals." I let out a huff of air, depressed that the brothers sitting across from us in this old diner do not hunt the way I hunt. I thought, for a moment, that I would have a little piece of home with me, being able to hunt in this foreign time.

"No. Why would do that?" asks Sam.

"For food. In Panem - in the future, you have to hunt for food," I explain.

"Oh."

"I've taken down loads of game, and I wish I was taking some down now."

"Why don't you just order something?" Dean says, and instantly I realize how hungry I am.

I reach for my pockets, but feel nothing. Peeta reaches for his as well, and also comes up empty-handed. I look into his eyes and instantly we both realize two things: Panem currency is probably different from the currency they're using now. And two, we scarcely ever have any money anyway, so searching our pockets was a stupid thing to do.

Sam notices that we haven't got any money, and he nudges his brother. Dean, for a second, looks brokenhearted that he will have to buy a couple of kids something to eat, but he does it anyway.

"How about I buy you guys some pie?" says Dean, and Sam rolls his eyes.

"Seriously, Dean? You're going to buy two kids from the future some pie?" He looks at me, then at Peeta. "On the other hand, they could use some fattening up. Buy them some burgers _and _some pie."

"What are burgers?" I blurt out. It's probably rude; who cares what it is, as long as it's edible?

"Cow meat on bread buns," says Dean simply, like this is common knowledge, and it probably is in this time.

I have rarely tasted beef, and the same goes for Peeta. The Capitol has a wide variety of foods that we've both gotten to sample a few times, but other than that, food is scarce in the lower Districts. Especially in 13, where you have a preset time to eat, and a preset amount of food. Dean orders our food, and pretty soon we are chomping down on two large burgers. We barely get out a muffled 'thank you' before swallowing and taking another bite.

The look on their faces tells me that they have never seen two people so hungry before, and I begin to think that they realize just what the Hunger Games are actually about.

When we finish our burgers, two large pieces of apple pie are presented to us. We've never had pie, not really, and we're scared to eat it.

"Just try it," says Dean. He says it so enthusiastically that we do nothing but bury our forks into our triangles of pie. The taste that enters my mouth is so rich and new and full of flavor that I think I might cry. Instead, I ask for the recipe so that I can cook it when I get back home. The waitress, a plump old lady named Ren, kindly says no. But she winks at me and whispers, 'It's real easy to make. Just get a pie crust and cut up some apples. Put the apple slices in the pie crust, along with some sugar, milk, and cinnamon." I make a mental note of the ingredients in my head, but I ask Peeta, "Did you get all that?" He nods.

Peeta's the real baker and cook, not me. I can cook groosling and turkey and chicken and deer meat well enough, but when it comes to baked goods, well, that is not my thing.

Once we are done, Sam and Dean herd us outside to their car. It's clearly old, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a car that looks anything like it. "What is it?" Peeta asks.

"A car," says Dean.

"He meant what model," I say, before Peeta can get angry.

"Ohhh," Dean says, a smile playing on his face. This car must be _his _baby. "It's an Impala, from '67." He says this sou proudly, so happily, that I can't do anything except smile. "Okay, get in the back."

Peeta and I get into the backseat quietly, not bothering to question where they are taking us next. We don't care, because it won't be home. Sam clears his throat, and I think I'm going to like what he says next, because he is looking in the rearview mirror and half-smiling.

"Okay, Dean and I have a little propsition for you," he begins. "If you help us, we're sure we can help you."

"What kind of proposition?" I ask, to neither one of the brothers in particular.

"You help us with this case we're doing, and we'll help you get home."

Peeta shocks me then. He's not into the paranormal or the supernatural. He looks at Sam quietly, and then says, "You've got a deal."


	3. Chapter 2

Dean has a smile plastered on his face as we drive down the road; I think it has something to do with the 'rock and roll' music playing on the radio. I'm not sure where we're going, but this place looks nothing like the ruins of Panem. Of course, those are ruins, so I'm not that surprised. Sam has told us that Peeta and I are to be helping them catch and probably kill a bunch of evil centaurs.

In Panem, we have a lot of crazy things. Deformed people, rabid animals, mutts, crazy piercings. But we don't have anything that is a half-man, half-horse. Me and Peeta's interests were so piqued, we couldn't say no. We wanted to see them, at the very least.

"These centaurs are not nice. They're rude, mean. They kill for pleasure, not for purpose. And what's more, they have long horns that, if impaled into your body, would most likely kill you," Sam explains. In his lap seems to be some sort of...personal computer? He had called it a laptop earlier, but it looks nothing like one of those spinning toys we have in Panem.

"Why is it your job to kill them? Why can't someone else do it?" Peeta pipes up from beside me.

Dean snorts, like it's a sore subject. But apparently it's one he's willing to talk about. "It's not our job, technically. But no one else is going to do it, and saving people is kind of our thing," he mutters. And as he looks out the window, I can see that he's genuine about what he has said.

We pull up to this...house? It looks like a house, but it's decrepit and falling down. It makes me think of the rubble that now surrounds the Victors Village in District 12, my old home. Everything there has been reduced to less than the building we are looking at from inside the car. "This is the place," Sam says, sounding morbid and unexcited.

"...The place for what?" I ask. It seems obvious to the two brothers, but to Peeta and me it's just an old house that's been unlucky and is falling down. It looks ready to implode at any second. "We're not really going in there, are we?"

Sam laughs, and it's one of the first less-forced smiles I've seen him make so far. "It's the centaurs' nesting place. They sleep out back, but inside they keep supplies. We want to steal their weapons and destroy them so that they're defenseless when we finally meet and confront them."

"Oh," I say stupidly.

A few more seconds pass, and then we all get out of Dean's car. Peeta and I stand together, behind Sam and Dean, waiting for the OK to go in. In my recent experiences, I've learned that holding back is better. They begin to walk ahead of us, up to the door, and we follow. Dean makes a move like he's about to kick the door in, but Sam stops him. "Dude," he says. His hand goes up and just barely taps on the door, and it opens without a problem. "One of these days you _are _going to let me kick a door in, because it won't open with your prissy hand-pushing and then you're going to need my foot," Dean makes a face, and Sam just rolls his eyes. Typical brothers, I suppose.

Dean has an accent. I can't place it. It sounds just like my own, but harder; more pronounced. I don't know the names of the _fifty _so called 'states' here, but he sounds like a person who comes from District 11. Rue had an accent like his...but it was softer, higher, and more girly.

Inside the house, Dean instructs us to spread out. Dean and I take the upstairs. It seems I have more tolerance for him than Peeta does. Peeta and Sam take the downstairs, and we go our seperate ways.

Up here, there are about five rooms, including the bathroom. The bathroom has no door, but I don't see anything in there worth looking at so I move on. "I found a bedroom," Dean yells out from another room. I go to look, and it's filled to the ceiling with books. "Guess they enjoy a little light literature," he mumbles sarcasticly. He exits the room and I'm left by myself, with at least two-hundred or so old books. They're old to me, anyway. I pick one up and dust it off, then look at the cover. Two hands hold an apple.

"_Twilight_," I whisper to myself. Dean comes back to tell me that the other rooms are just as boring and empty of weapons as this one, but stops when he sees the book. "What's this about?" I ask.

"Vampires and werewolves. It's strange," he says, with an undertone of dislike lacing his voice. I shrug and throw the book back into a pile. From downstairs, we hear a muffled _Woah!_, and we go back down hoping for a lead.

Peeta and Sam seem to have hit the jackpot. In what appears to be a more unnoticeable room, there are weapons everywhere. Axes, guns, spears, even a trident is hung up on the wall. Peeta is chuckling to himself about something, and Sam and Dean are giving him weird looks. I would too, except I see what he's looking at. I get why it's so funny. A classy-looking bow and a ton of arrows are placed on the couch. I couldn't be happier to see something so familiar.

I quickly make my way over to the couch, jumping over things and trying not to accidentally set off what looks like a bomb, then pick up the bow. "Peeta! It's so...me!" I grin. He nods. "Can I keep this?" I ask the brothers. "Sure, are you good with a bow?" Dean asks. Peeta gives a guffaw and I just shake my head. "She's better than good," Peeta murmurs. I don't say anything, just sling the bow over my shoulder and grab the arrows.

"Alright. These weapons need to be put in the back of the Impala. I'll get some, Dean will get some; Peeta, grab whatever you can use for yourself and then take the rest to the trunk," Sam tells us. "Katniss, you've got a bow and some arrows. Put those in the backseat and then come back for more." I smile and do as I'm told.

The job is quickly done with four people, but something feels off about the whole situation. I can't explain it, but it feels like we're being watched. I don't know if it has something to do with the paranoia of being in two Games, back to back, and living in Panem all my life, but I definitely feel very odd. It only takes about two more minutes of loading the trunk, and then we're done. Right after that, I find out why I'm feeling so weird. I hear a pair of hooves stomp the ground behind us. My hearing is so impeccable, on account of how the Capitol fixed it for me after my first games.

"Going somewhere?" a voice asks. The four of us are frozen for what seems like hours, but can really only be about ten seconds. When we turn around, eight large centaurs, they have to be the centaurs, have emerged from the woods beyond the house. They all have a weapon, and all of them are pointed directly at us.

Dean is the first to speak. "What's up, two-horn unicorn?" he asks. I wonder if it's a good idea to taunt them, but I keep my mouth shut. If he gets killed it will be his own fault.

"I wouldn't be so quick with the wise cracks," the same voice says. It's coming from the guy...horse?...closest to us. He's got the biggest horns. I guess that means he's the leader. "You see, we don't go easy on anyone. We can kill you dead right now if we want to."

"But you don't want to," Sam starts. I wonder where he's going with this. "Because if you did, you would have done it already."

The centaurs laugh and look to each other for a moment. "Maybe. Or maybe we just enjoy torturing those who steal from us. We would have left you alone but...well, thats no fun."

Sam had told me to put the bow and arrows in the backseat, and I had. But then I got them out again. I wanted to test the bow, see how it felt in my hands and figure out if it would be easy for me to shoot with. It is now that I remember I'm still holding the items over my shoulder. Very carefully, so as not to draw attention to myself, I set up a bow and try to be as quiet as possible. Peeta notices this.

"Where's the fun in killing for pleasure?" he asks, and the centaurs look at him as if just noticing him for the first time. "There is _always _fun in killing for pleasure, boy," the leader says. I can see him all but roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye.

They begin to come closer, and at this point I don't hesitate any longer. "Stay back!" I yell with power, my bow pointed at one of their heads. The centaur I'm about to shoot at is standing next to the leader. I've aimed my bow at him because if I kill the second in command, at least that's what he looks like he is, they know I won't stop and think about killing their most beloved leader. "You're bluffing," the leader says. Peeta gives me a look, the same type of look he gave me in our second games when he was signaling for me to shoot those orange monkey mutts. I pull back the arrow and let it fly. It hits the centaur in the head, and he falls over like Haymitch did that first time Peeta and I met him on the train to the Capitol just a few years ago.

"I _said_, stay back," I repeat, more calmly this time. I can feel Sam and Dean's eyes trained on me, but then they look to the centaurs who are slowly moving backwards into the woods.

"When we come back," the leader says. "You four had better be gone. And you had better hope we don't know where you went." He turns, as do the others, and they run off into the woods. I step up to the fallen centaur, retrieve my bow, then put it in its container with the others.

Dean stares at me like he's found a new best friend. "Nicely done!" he grins, holding his hand up in the air. I don't know what I am supposed to with it. "Oh, Kat, you've gotta slap it. It's called a high five," he nods. I say nothing about the nickname he has given me, because it doesn''t look like he's going to stop calling me that anytime soon. Besides, it's kind of growing on me. I slap my hand to his and for some reason, I feel that it's a valid move.

Peeta gives me a smile and we all get back in the car. However, it seems like this whole centaur thing has only just begun. And I don't think we're going to be getting back to Panem anytime soon. But that's okay. We've started something here, and I don't want to leave until we've finished it.


	4. Chapter 3

"Okay, so get this," Sam says. His laptop is on the bed next to him. We've arrived at Sam and Dean's latest hotel, a place Dean says quite resembles The Ritz. Sam said he was just being sarcastic. "There are all these centaur legends about things they're allergic to: Certain types of flowers, nuts, foods, all sorts of things. It says nothing about how to kill them, although I think we've realized a bow and arrow will do the trick."

I smirk. I had had no real plan to kill anything while here, at least not after I realized how easy it was to get food. But killing that half-man, half-horse creature was so interesting that I decided I had to stay and see it through. Peeta, by default, is staying with me. However, after we got back he did have some choice words for me.

Dean snorts. "There is no real way to kill'em, Sammy. Google's not gonna tell you nothin'," He's stuffing a doughnut into his mouth and powder is getting, well, everywhere. "See, kids, it's all trial and error. Trial this. Error that. Ha, Sam, 'error 404 - centaur killing methods cannot be found'," he says through his chewing. I don't know what this means and even though I can see he tries to hold back, Sam lets a smile show through on his features.

"Would you shut up and look through dad's journal, please? These things have got to be eradicated."

"More like erotic-ated, am I right? Maybe they just need to get a lil' somethin' somethin' and they'd be happier," Dean says, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Keep your mind out of the gutter!"

Dean rolls his eyes and pulls a journal out of his bedside drawer. I can see that it contains a lot of information on God knows what. Hopefully there are things about centaurs in there.

He thumbs through page after page, nodding and looking at the written words and drawn pictures thoughtfully. "Dad says nothing about centaurs or how to kill them, unfortunately. Looks like we're just going to have to do this the hard way."

I sit up. "What is the hard way, exactly?"

"Castiel," Sam says simply.

"And who is Castiel?" Peeta pipes up.

"Dean's boyfriend," Sam mutters.

Dean makes a face. "Shut up, he is not!"

Sam makes a 'yeah, right' face, and suddenly a man appears behind Dean as if he'd been there the whole time.

"Dean is correct on this matter. I am not his boyfriend," the man says. Dean chokes and powder comes out of his nose. He drops the packet of doughnuts onto the floor in his haste to calm down. "Do I need to perform the arm-around-your-stomach saving ritual, Dean? Are you dying?"

After another moment or two of slightly over-dramatic coughing, Dean straightens up and turns around. "It's called the Heimlich maneuver, and no, I'm not dying. What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that? One day I'm going to have a heart attack, because of it," he murmurs.

"Kat, Peeta. This is Castiel. Cas for short," Dean says, waving his hand through the air as if it was some sort of introduction.  
>Cas looks taken aback, almost as though he didn't see us sitting on the tiny couch. "Well. Hello children. It has been a long while since I've talked to anyone younger than the Winchesters."<p>

"We're not _that_ young," Peeta mutters. I rub his knee in an attempt to comfort him.

"Hello, Samuel," Cas turns to the bed. Sam throws his hand up. "Hey, Cas. Any idea on how to kill a centaur?"

He always cuts right to the chase, I've noticed. For some reason, I like that about him. "Why on God's green Earth would you want to kill a centaur? They are precious, precious beings. They even have their own animated moving picture show. I believe it is called My Small Horse, or something, right?"

Dean pinches the bridge of his nose. "That's My Little Pony, Cas. Secondly, those are unicorns. The things we're dealing with are no Twilight Sparkles or Pinkie Pies. These things are killers."

"Wait, why do you know the names of the Ponies..." Sam says, but Castiel interrupts him and Dean doesn't even hear him.

"Oh. I see. Well, centaurs are not in my legislature. I'm not a mythology expert."

"Strange, coming from you," Dean says sarcastically.

I stand up and straighten out my clothes. "What are the legalities of killing centaurs? Aren't they also men? Can't you get charged with manslaughter for that type of thing?" I ask. I don't want them to get in trouble and I also don't want to get thrown into jail in the past. I just want to finish this and go home.

Dean makes a laughing sound in his throat. "I don't think anyone would care if these things died. They're murderes. Plus, if this were 1682, they'd kill them anyway."

"It isn't 1682, Dean. It is 2012," Cas says.

"I know that, Cas. Thanks for the update. My point is, no one even knows that they're here. The people in this town have no idea that these things exist and it's mine and Sam's job to keep it that way."

I nod and sit back down. If Dean is sure, then I am sure. And if Sam has no oppositions then I believe that Peeta doesn't either. I've lived in Panem for so long that Castiel just showing up out of the blue and from seemingly nowhere is somehow more normal than anything else I've experienced in this time so far. That comment from Sam has me thinking, though. Is Cas really Dean's boyfriend? It doesn't seem like it but it's hard to tell. I'm intrigued in these mens' lives, though. Much too into them, now. I almost care for them

Dean decides that we should wait for nightfall and try to make our way into their lair, armed with many weapons. Castiel says that's dangerous and we should not play fast and loose with such cruel beings, but Dean still makes the call.

Since it'll be a few hours before it really gets dark, I decide to take a nap on the couch. Peeta with Sam to the library to do some more reasearch. I think he's making a friend. Cas and Dean sit on Dean's bed and watch television for a while. Before I doze off, I can hear them talking about whatever show is on:

"I don't understand. This show is about meeting his kids' mother, and yet their mother is never shown? How are we to know? How are they to know?" Castiel asks, and Dean sighs.

"We don't need to know because it's not really about that. It's about how he met their mother, it's not about their mother specifically," he explains patiently.

"But I would really like to know who their mother is. What if he doesn't even know their mother and they are actually adopted and he is just stalling to keep from telling them the truth? That is very dishonest, I don't think I like this show anymore," Cas complains.

"You just made that up! That's not even true," Dean says, exasperated. I can hear him turn off the television set, fed up. "Fine," he starts. "We just won't even watch TV. We'll sit here and read the Bible. Quietly, now, so that Kat can sleep." Hearing this causes a smile to cross my face.

"Oh, the Bible! What a wonderful choice, I think you'll really enjoy the ending," Cas says, and I can almost hear the grin in his voice. Dean just groans, and as the quietness falls over me I finally fall asleep.

It's hours later when I wake up. Sam and Peeta have returned from their outing and Dean is cleaning a gun. Cas is nowhere to be seen.  
>"Where's Castiel?" I ask.<p>

Dean looks up at me. "He left. Said he didn't like theidea of us "killing the distant cousins of the horned ponies". He'll be back at some point, though."

I just nod, because what can I really say to that? I pick up my bow which has been left on the floor in front of the couch. The blood from the centaur I killed has been cleaned off of it and I'm thankful. At least now it's sanitary again. After a few more minutes of examining my favorite weapon, the brothers stand up and announce that it is time to go.

Loading his pockets with some extra ammo, Dean picks up his gun and says, "Let's go kill us some centaurs!"

The ride to their crumbling house is not far from the hotel. It's a quiet car trip and Peeta and I barely say a word to each other. He isn't too thrilled about staying but I am unrelenting. He's armed with a gun and a knife, Dean has his gun and I have my bow and arrow, and Sam has what appears to be an axe. I could be wrong.

As we arrive and step out of the Impala, I notice how quiet our surroundings are. Suddenly I'm overwhelmed with the idea that Castiel might be right; this could be dangerous. But then, anything could be dangerous in this time.

Sam wastes no more time looking around than Dean does, charging right into the forest without even a flashlight for guidance. I suppose the moon is rather bright tonight, but still. Peeta and I follow silently, heading into the woods carefully. I get an arrow ready to shoot just in case, but at the moment nothing seems amiss.

"Come on. Let's split up again. When we did it earlier today, they came out of hiding. Maybe they'll do it again. Kat, you come with me. Peeta you're with Sam," Dean directs. No one opposes. Everything is ominous in a setting such as this. Peeta follows Sam, going north, while Dean and I walk west.

"How was your Kat-nap?" Dean asks, chuckling at his own pun. The joke reminds me of the nickname Catnip that Gale gave me so long ago. I don't laugh. "It was alright," I answer him. Would have been better to be in my own bed at home, but I've never been one to complain.

Dean nods. "Woulda let you sleep in Sammy's bed but he's got this thing about lice. He doesn't wanna get'em. I don't doubt it, what with that mane of his." This time I do join in on Dean's laughter.

The farther we head into the woods, the quieter it becomes. That is until we hear a scream. By memory and by sheer clarity I can tell that it's Peeta's voice, and I run in the direction I heard it from. I don't listen to Dean telling me to stop or wait up. I just run.

I _have_ to get to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey hey! I just want you all to know that this story is not finished, and I am currently writing the next chapter right now. (As soon as it's up, I'll take this down.) Chapters will be coming at least once a month from now on until this is done!


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